Martin felt his heart racing in his chest. Did the animal even recognize him? It slowly closed the gap with its huge claws and stared him straight in the eye. It looked huge compared to what he remembered.
It somehow had grown even more since the last time he had seen the bird. He remembered how much smaller it was as a baby when he found it in the forest. Even though it was small helpless before now, he was the one that needed help.
Martin Acosta lived in Argentina with his family. All his life, his father took him out to nature, and they walked long hikes together. Martin developed a love for nature through their hikes and started studying animals.
As a young adult, Martin kept his passion for all things nature and would make sure to frequent the old trails that he and his father used to go on. He’d try and take a hike every weekend if he could. But one day, he found something that he never expected.
Martin worked a desk job in a cramped office during the week. He got through all of the work that he had to do and couldn’t wait for Saturday morning. He had planned a morning hike on his own.
He enjoyed walking in nature by himself to give him time alone with his thoughts. He would often think of his father and what they would say through labored breaths from their walk up the trail.
Martin finally left the office and got home, made dinner for his family, and had an early night. He couldn’t wait for the morning to come. After a restful night, he excitedly opened his eyes – it was Saturday morning.
Martin’s big plans were about to become a reality. He packed a backpack with snacks, plenty of water, a blanket, and a first aid kit just in case. He then went on his merry way to start the peaceful hike. He just had no idea what he would stumble across.
After walking on the trail for a little over an hour, Martin heard a strange noise. He walked just a little bit off the trail and saw something incredible in the clearing. There was a Condor chick crying in the bushes.
There was no mother around. The poor thing was all on its own and didn’t look like it could fly yet. Martin knew he had to do something. He just thought about what his father would have done, and that’s when he hatched his plan.
Martin was thankful that he had brought a blanket with him. He slowly approached the bird and scooped it up with a blanket. He carefully held the baby bird as he walked back down to the beginning of the trail.
He made it back into town and walked back to his house. He put the baby condor in a box with a blanket and showed it to his wife. The poor bird clearly wouldn’t have made it out on its own.
Over the next few weeks, Martin decided to keep the bird and raise it himself. He felt that its life was in his hands and his hands only. He got all the necessary things like syringes for feeding, a small cage, and even antibiotics.
Martin started to bond with the small animal as he kept hand-rearing it. Over the next month, he’d watch the condor grow into something incredible. But things would change after he let it go.
It had been two months since Martin had found the bird shaking all on its own in the forest. Now the bird was much bigger than before – it was almost fully grown. Martin knew that he had to let the bird go free now that it couldn’t stay indoors.
Martin walked it out to the edge of town and let the big bird go free. It flew it off before perching on a tree right by the edge of the forest. It turned back to look at Martin as if to say thank you before flying further into the forest. Little did Martin know that it wasn’t over yet.
Martin headed back home after letting the condor go. He told his wife and kids that the deed was done. They looked a little disappointed, to say the least. Martin knew that his children had developed a bond with the bird as well.
Martin still smiled at the thought that he had done a good deed that his father would be proud of. He would sleep a little easier knowing that all he’d get out of the situation was good karma.
The bird soon faded from Martin’s mind as he continued to work at his stuffy office job every weekday. But he did think about the hiking spot more and more and decided that he was due for another hike.
He planned to visit the same spot as before and walk the trail alone, just as he always did. But there was something waiting for him there that he could never have expected that would have him fearing for his safety.
Martin felt his heart racing in his chest. Did the animal even recognize him? It slowly closed the gap with its huge claws and stared him straight in the eye. It looked huge compared to what he remembered.
It somehow had grown even more since the last time he had seen the bird. He remembered how much smaller it was as a baby when he found it in the forest. Even though it was small helpless before now, he was the one that needed help.
The condor spread its wings out in front of Martin. He fell back in fear as he watched it edge closer. Then it did something completely unexpected that Martin could never have expected.
The enormous bird nuzzled its beak against him. It recognized him and actually seemed fond of him. He smiled broadly and petted the animal carefully. He couldn’t believe it had gotten so huge.
Martin was touched by the encounter with his old friend. The animal followed him as he walked through the trail. He heard the flapping of wings as it left. Now he knew where to find it if he ever wanted to visit it again.
It was an experience that stuck with Martin. He was touched by it and knew he had done right by the bird to have saved it when he did. But things weren’t over yet.
Martin kept up his walks on the trail now that he had a friendly face to visit every day. It became a regular occurrence, and he event decided to bring his family along to visit what used to be their house guest.
The condor would always be in the same spot on the hiking trail. It would watch the family as they visited the trail. It was a special feeling for Martin as he had good memories of his father and now would make new ones with his kids.
Martin was so touched by the satisfying encounter that he decided to take things a step further. He decided to donate what he could afford to a local bird sanctuary in Argentina. He knew that he could have taken the bird there if he hadn’t felt so responsible for its own wellbeing.
He just hoped that more people would think twice before leaving helpless animals on their own. Martin would go on to start funding more and more sanctu
